Member Testimonial

Gather member Lenore has been using Gather to help supplement her weekly food shopping since the organization was located at City Hall, formerly the Portsmouth Hospital. Now, Lenore shops at Gather’s pantry on West Road and at its Portsmouth mobile market on Fridays. Gather, she says, always made a difference but is helping her now more than ever. 

“I’m losing $600 a month in Social Security for a year,” the 93-year-old says. “And with the increase in everything else, including food, Gather really makes a difference.” 

She doesn’t need as much in the way of groceries as she once did, thanks to nearby relatives who make an extra plate for Lenore every night at dinner. It’s one of the ways she is able to keep food costs down. Between those meals and her visits to Gather's programs she doesn’t go hungry. 

Lenore is aware that many of her neighbors also face food insecurity and she commends Gather for being an effective solution to this challenge. "Gather is a very good place to get food,” says Lenore, who goes by Lee. “I don’t know what I’d do without it — what everyone would do without it. They really help a lot of people.”